Truth of Trust
by HettyBobcat
Summary: After going against Ran's warning to stay out of trouble, Conan and Ran now have an issue with trust. Will Shinchi decided it's time to tell the truth about who he really is? In the end, how will their relationship change?
1. Chapter 1

Conan Edogawa, pint-sized version of Shinichi Kudou, famous high-school detective, lounged lazily on the sofa of the Mouri Detective Agency. "Eh, I'm so borrrrrrred." He moaned to himself. "You know," Ran began from the opposite sofa without looking past her magazine, "I can find you something to do." Conan sat up, wondering what the tall athletic teenage girl had in mind. "I could teach you karate!" She stood up and struck a stance. She was captain of the karate team at their high school… well, her high-school now. Ever since Shinichi was attacked by the bad men in black and forced to take an experimental poison, he'd been stuck in the form of a primary school student. He almost tottered off the couch at her statement.

"I think I'll go to professor Agasa's for a while," he chuckled nervously. Ran looked a little disappointed but wished him well, told him to be safe, and waved goodbye.

The professor didn't live too terribly far, but it would be quite a walk with such short legs. Luckily Professor Agasa created for him a turbo, solar powered skateboard. He was in no hurry, so he pushed himself along with one foot at a leisurely pace.

"Professor?" He pushed the door open. The broad-shouldered old man was at the far end of the room, his back turned to the entering detective. Upon hearing the greeting he raised his head. "Ah, Shinichi! I have something to show you!" The old man motioned for Conan to come over. The boy did so; curious to see what half-baked invention the almost-mad-scientist had come up with this time. "Observe." The gray-haired man loomed over a metal cage with a ferret inside. At one end was a button on the floor of the cage next to a tiny door like those on a gum-ball machine. He held up a lemon-yellow card. The ferret twitched its little nose before darting to the button. This activated the door and out popped a bit of food. The ferret devoured it hungrily.

"That's what we call a Pavlovian response or a conditioned response." The doctor pointed out.

"So you taught the ferret to push the button every time you hold up a card, using the food as a reward?"

"Not quite. Tinker was already trained to feed himself when he's hungry by pressing the button. You see, every time the button is pushed it delivers food. I only recently began training him to become hungry upon seeing the yellow card. Now when I show the yellow card, Tinker becomes hungry, and so feeds himself." The professor looked proud as if that were the entire experiment.

"No offense, but as interesting as that is, it's not new." Conan was a little afraid of disappointing the doctor, but the old man just smiled.

"I just wanted to show you that first. I'm setting the stage for what I really wanted to show you." Without hesitation, he pulled out a short metal pipe. This time upon holding up the yellow card the scientist began banging loudly on the metal cage. Obviously frightened, the poor creature darted around the cage, looking for escape before hunkering down in the corner. Agasa stopped the banging as he put the card down. Conan was almost as shocked as the ferret. "What are you…?!" he started to ask but the card was once again raised and the banging commenced immediately. Conan jumped up, grabbing Professor Agasa by the arm. The man looked down at the tiny boy clinging to him and stopped the banging, dropping the card as he did so.

"What are you doing?! You're scaring that poor animal for no reason!" Conan asked vehemently through panting breaths. The old man smiled again. "I'm setting the stage for my experiment. Don't worry. It will all turn out right in the end. Sit back and wait. I'll be at it for a little while longer. The professor held up the card again and began banging away, obtaining the same reaction from the lithe little animal. Unsure what he should do, Conan simply went and sat down, waiting for the point in which this ludicrousness would come to an end.

About 40 minutes had passed with the same intermittent banging going on. Conan thought he, himself, would start darting around the room! But finally the professor walked back to where the boy sat. "Shinichi, come look at this." Conan looked up at him and followed the man back over to the ferret. The broad-shouldered man held up the yellow card again, this time with no banging. The ferret reacted just the same, darting around in fear, ready for the terrible noise to start again. It didn't. "Tinker has now been reconditioned to fear the yellow card instead of becoming hungry because of it. But with one of my new inventions, we can reverse that tragic process." Agasa faked a frown for dramatic effect.

'You were the tragic process.' Conan thought to himself, a disbelieving smile on his face and half crooked glasses.

Professor Agasa withdrew three little medicine bottles. The dark brown glass clacked together. Each one had a black dropper top. He turned the bottles in his hand, inspecting the bottoms and proceeded to unscrew the lid of one, setting the other two down on the table. Conan took the two in his own hands, examining them. They seemed to be unlabeled and unextraordinary aside from a colored spot on the bottoms, one in red, the other in blue. He assumed the vile Professor Agasa held was marked with a yellow spot.

Carefully the doctor administered the clear liquid onto the nape of the neck of little Tinker. Carefully with gloved hands, he rubbed the liquid onto the skin. 'Only one droplet,' Conan observed. "Now we wait a few seconds…" the scientist said as he washed his gloved hands, "and that should be enough time." He checked his watch and marked the time on a piece of gridded paper on a clip board. Agasa held up the yellow card again. Tinker looked at the yellow for a moment, twitching its nose before hoping to the button to get a tasty treat. The old man grinned behind his big, gray mustache. Genuinely perplexed, the small child questioned, "Okay, so what was it?"

Professor Agasa smiled confidently, taking his own glasses off to clean them with his shirt tail. "My new invention." The doctor stated matter-of-factly, as if that was the entire answer. A brief moment of silence as he returned his glasses to the bridge of his bulbous nose, "As far as the creature's mind is concerned, the last hour never happened. The three bottles you see before you are each special psychotropics. That one you just witnessed is the amnesia drug. It is very powerful, so contact with the skin is all it takes, but it can also be inhaled, ingested, or injected. Of course, it takes such a small amount, simply touching a drop with the skin can cause amnesia of one hour retrospect." He coughed into his fist, grinning. Conan smiled also, sincerely impressed. "Does it work on humans too?" Conan asked the obvious next question.

"Hmm? Humans? Yes! Of course! I tested it on myself… at least, I think I did. I'm not completely sure, but I wrote down the procedure before hand and next thing I knew I was reading something I didn't remember writing!"

'You sound so proud.' Conan thought wryly. "What are these others?"

"Others? Oh! Brilliant! They are in the same line as the first, but totally different! This one marked in blue causes you to become invisible!"

"What?!" The tiny detective jumped back, wearing an expression of disbelief.

"Not really." Agasa laughed, waving his hand dismissively. "When this drug is administered, what ever the recipient is looking at will seem to vanish. How it works is the chemical, when it reaches the brain, essentially finds the part of the brain processing information received through the eyes. Then it blocks the most prominent of that information. Therefore, he can look all over the room and see everything but what he was concentrating on the moment this drug went to work!"

"Have you tested this one?" Conan asked.

"Well, I'm not sure, really. I may have tested it during the hour that I can't remember. Come to think of it, I haven't been able to find the remote control lately. Maybe I'll try my other invention to help restore my memory."

"The third chemical?" The child-like high-school student asked.

"Yes. The third chemical restores the memory, reversing the effects of the amnesia drug and the invisibility drug."

***

Back at the Mouri household, Ran huffed, carrying around a white plastic trash bag. She felt like there were two children she had to clean up after instead of one. Her father's empty beer cans, cigarette butts, and instant ramen bowls littered their home as well as his office down stairs. After her mother left her father, Ran had taken over the care-taker role in the home, preparing the meals and cleaning house. There were about a million things she'd rather be doing, even studying for tomorrow's test! But it was the last day of the weekend and she wouldn't get another chance to really clean the apartment until next weekend. Pushing up her sleeves and donning her elbow-length rubber gloves, she went from room to room cleaning furiously. First the kitchen, all the dishes, and the floor – spic and span. Next the bathroom, scrubbing and disinfecting – after all, she lived with two boys – now it was spotless and shining.

She carried a basket of clean laundry, first putting away her father's clothes, next her own. Little Conan's clothes were so small, they didn't take up much space. She saved them for last. She went into the room he used. She lifted a little shirt. "Kawaii." She closed her eyes and smiled. He was so cute and small. Everything in its place, she picked up the now empty basket. Finally her chores were done and it was even still afternoon. "I still have time to study-up. Thank goodness!" she brushed a long strand of hair from her face and pushed it behind her ear. As she exited his room, she paused at the door, looking back. She wasn't sure why but suddenly she felt a sinking feeling in her stomach. She was overcome with worry. "Intuition…" she whispered to herself and grabbed for her cell phone.

***


	2. Chapter 2

***

Conan stretched the latex gloves over his petite hands. His narrow fingers left excess space in the one-size-fits-all. He stood on a step-stool just behind the professor. Unscrewing the bottle marked with red, he used a cotton ball to dab a droplet of the clear liquid at the top of the back of the doctor's neck. The old man held his hair out of the way.

"Wait, my phone is vibrating." Conan said, putting the lid back on the bottle and stepping down from the stool. "It's Ran." He stepped away a bit to afford himself a little privacy. "Hello?"

"Conan? Are you okay?" she asked as calmly as she could.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Why? Is something wrong?"

"No. I just had a bad feeling, that's all," she chuckled slightly. "I just want to make sure you're safe. Are you still at Dr. Agasa's house?"

"Yep! He's showing me some really neat things! I'm having lots of fun!" his voice was high. He used the more child-like inflection when trying his hardest to act like a kid.

"Well, that's good. I want you to promise me you'll be safe, okay?"

"I will!" Conan answered quickly.

"Conan, this is important. Really promise me. I got this funny feeling and I know it's nothing, but just to make me feel better, please promise me you'll be safe." She sounded almost pleading and Shinichi felt her in a way that only he could. His voice lowered a little, speaking seriously. "Yes Ran-nechan. I promise to be safe. Don't worry."

"Good." She perked up. "Be home in time for supper," and with that she hung up. Conan closed his red phone with the little soccer ball charm hanging from the end. The sounds of the news-caster's voice faded into his realm of perception as his ear caught the words. Intrigued, he walked over to stand beside the doctor who was now holding the remote control and watching the news.

"The man is reported to be 41 year old Isao Yamamaya. It seems that the man is holed up in his home with a gun. Police are not moving in at this time. Again, this is right across from the Okashi Day-Care in a residential home. We've just been informed that it is, in fact, Mr. Yamamaya's home and he is holding his two young children hostage! He is holding his children hostage. This is a very volatile situation, folks. More as the story progresses!" Conan and Dr. Agasa watched, mouths agape. Conan felt there was something that could be done. He had to do something. He had to do something!

"Professor Agasa! May I borrow these?!" Quick as a light, the boy ran back to the table, grabbing the three bottles and dropping them into his pocket. Agasa nodded an approval but the boy didn't wait to see it. Grabbing his skateboard, he dropped it on the side walk out front. Dust and debris swirled around him before the solar powered engine shot him forward. Off he went, zipping around pedestrian traffic on the side walks and across streets to get to the house across from the Okashi Day Care. He knew right where that was. He had gone there when he was a tot. He would have smiled to himself thinking about how many years ago it was for him, Shinichi, who is a second year high school student, but to see him in the body of a primary school student it wouldn't seem so long ago. But he couldn't smile to himself. He couldn't think of fond memories, not now. He was determined. He had to save those kids!

His skateboard powered down as he reached the back of the police line. Unobtrusive with his small stature, he made his way to the side where he was able to push through the front of the line. "Hey! You can't go in there! Hey!" The police officer called to him and he started to rush forth before the high-pitched zing of a bullet stopped him, sending him reeling back. Conan made it around behind the house, unnoticed by the hostage holder inside. Before having to take the time to think of a way in, he noticed a doggy door at the back entrance of what was most likely the kitchen. An adult would not be able to get more than their head in, and the door was most likely locked and barricaded. 'There are times I am thankful for this cursed body.' He thought to himself as he wriggled in the little flap and under the legs of a chair in the way of the door.

Sure enough, he was in the kitchen. Looking around cautiously, he crept out into the hall. He could see the opening of the front room where the gun-wielding mad-man lurked near the window. His children were outside the room in a playpen that had been pulled into the hall. They sat huddled together. They were maybe 4 and 5 years old. Their faces were tear-streaked but they were no longer crying. 'Probably cried out,' he thought to himself. He felt a swell of anger and pity. "Come with me." Conan whispered as quietly as he could. He held a finger to his shushing lips as he helped the children from the playpen and led them to the kitchen where he ushered them through the opening in the kitchen door.

"Wait here until the nice policemen come and get you. Okay?" he instructed the children once outside. "It's time to take care of this situation." The miniature hero cracked his knuckles. For one so small, he seemed ominous in that moment.

Conan crept silently behind the man who was busy shouting at the cops for trying to come too close earlier. His gun was fully loaded and ready to fire, Conan noted. "Otosan!" the child called. Startled, the father turned angrily.

"I thought I told you brats…!" he stopped mid-sentence, realizing this was not his own kid. "How did you get in here?!" he started to ask but was surprised by a splash of liquid right at his eyes. He screamed, clutching his face. "Ah! What did you do?!" He lowered the gun, his face red with fury. He focused on the little boy with the little empty bottle in his hand. With the blinders of rage, he could focus on nothing but the child in front of him, the child he was going to kill and be done with. But as he aimed, the image of the boy faded from sight. "What?" he gasped, looking around. "Where'd you go? I'm going to kill you!"

"Not if I take your gun away," the invisible intruder said confidently. The gunman hadn't even noticed the line of canned vegetables arranged about ten feet in front of him. Conan adjusted his special power shoes. They glowed with power. The man could see the shining energy and held his gun shakily in that direction. Before he could pull the trigger, a bent can hurdled toward him, hitting his hand, destroying the bones with an audible crunch. Conan reared back to kick again. "What you did to your children…" he let loose, another can went crushing to the man's face, "… is unforgivable!" Teeth flew from the man's bloodied mouth and he lay out cold on the floor. "You're disgraceful." Conan said, filled with venom. He toed the man's shoulder but he didn't move other than his chest rising and falling with the even breaths of unconsciousness.

Conan went to the front door, opening it wide and standing in the door-way. He waved, throwing his young child voice again, "Mr. Policemen! You can come in now! The bad guy is asleep!" The squadron of officers looked at each other questioningly before shuffling in behind large shields.

***

Conan sat in the police office, a large man in a brown trench coat and hat handed the child some hot chocolate in a Styrofoam cup. The child giggled a "thank you" and Inspector Megure smiled a "your welcome" under his black mustache. "Conan!" Ran shouted, running through the door. She had actually seen the event unfold on the news before realizing her little Conan-kun was involved. "I got a call from Inspector Megure that you were at the police station!" She was exasperated. It was clear she didn't even know where to begin. She was angry, scared, relieved. "Didn't I tell you to be safe?! Didn't I tell you to be careful?!"

"I was safe. Nothing happened." Conan smiled, trying to weasel out of being in trouble. He knew from experience that Ran could be very scary when she got mad. His smile dropped away when he saw Ran's continuing sour expression. Her lips were pursed and her blue eyes flashed angrily. She stood with a wide stance, hands on her hips. "I saw everything on tv. You could have been killed! I don't… I don't know what I'd do!" She brushed tears away from her face. She wanted to stay angry. She wanted to look mad. Without another word she grabbed Conan's free hand, pulling him roughly out of the chair and into a fast-paced stride with her back home. During the walk, most of his chocolate spilled. It was hard to carry it and his skateboard and hold Ran's unyielding hand. Upstairs they marched, past the detective office and to the apartment.

Conan observed the table was still set, her father's plate was cleaned of food but both hers and Conan's sat untouched. It was probably cold by now. Instead of stopping in the dining area she rushed him right into the bathroom. "Brush your teeth." She commanded. Conan looked a little perplexed. He wasn't accustomed to her treating him quite like this. "What about supper?" he dared to ask. Dropping down to his level she scolded him right to his face, "You're going to bed without supper. Brush your teeth!" Even though he was just as old as she was, he couldn't help but comply with her demanding voice. He noted she wasn't going to eat either. She sat on the edge of the bathtub; he stood on a step-stool in front of the sink. They both brushed in uncomfortable silence. She maintained a stern expression, Conan felt like, well, a reprimanded child. He faced forward toward the mirror but looked at her out of the corner of his eyes. They both continued brushing much longer than needed, both using the time to think.

Finally Ran stood up, her mouth foamy white. She scrunched her body close to his, rinsing her mouth at the sink. She didn't move from that position when she was finished. Hunched over, down to his level, she closed her eyes and hugged him tightly. "I know we're not related, but I care about you so much."

'Ran…' he thought to himself. He hugged her back, tightly, burying his face in her shoulder. "Me too." He knew why she had gotten angry with him. He knew why she had been so stern. She was tender-hearted and he was important to her. She trusted him and he betrayed that trust by breaking a promise and putting himself into a situation that would cause her fear. As he thought about it, he realized that this was not the only way he betrayed her trust. Every day he lied to her. He told himself it was to protect her. It was, after all. He wanted to keep her safe too.

"I want to be able to trust you." She said, catching Conan – Shinichi – off guard. "I want to know when I tell you something that you will listen to me because I want what's best for you." She sounded like a mother. He didn't know what to say.

"I'll tell you what," she started, pulling far enough away from him to look into his wide eyes. She was so close to his face, he blushed. "Tomorrow when we get out of school, I'll take you to get some ice-cream. How does that sound?" He nodded silently and she smiled. Get dressed for bed. She planted a little kiss atop the crown of his head and playfully mussed his hair. "Good night, Conan-kun." He watched her go as she entered her room, closing the door behind her. He turned back to view himself in the mirror. He looked at himself behind those glasses, those lies. He removed them and looked at himself again. He heaved a sigh. How heavy those glasses seemed right now. He leaned down into the sink to wash his face for bed.

***

"Okay, I have to get up early to make Conan's lunch and I still have to skim over the material for my test first thing in the morning…" she muttered to herself as she set her alarm. She pulled her legs in under the blanket and turned off her lamp.

***


	3. Chapter 3

***

Conan was awash with conflicting emotions. Trust. She talked about trust. He could trust her, he knew. No matter how many times she thought she figured out his true identity, she never told anyone. If she were to know, who would it hurt? He could trust her. He wanted her to be able to trust him. He needed that. There was only one way he felt he could get this weight off his heart. It was so cold and heavy and sometimes unbearable. He smiled to himself. It already felt lighter. He could trust her.

In the bathroom Conan changed out of his little suit and into his pajamas. He folded his clothes over his arm. From the hall he could see that Ran's light was off. A profound anxiety gripped him. The darkness under the door suddenly seemed like a murky mist warning him away. It was strange. He felt such a need to tell her. From the first night he tried, almost did. However the ruse had gone on so long, how could he bring himself to end it? What could he say to her? What apology could he possibly offer? Ran could be super scary with her karate, but she also had a loving heart.

"I'll wait until morning," he muttered, moving past her room. He stopped again. He back-peddled to her door, knocking lightly. "Now or never," he assured himself. "Ran-nechan?" he called quietly out of habit. He slowly pushed the door open, a bold move indeed. "Ran-nechan? Are you awake?" The teenage girl turned over, rubbing her eyes as she sat up. "Conan-kun? Are you okay?" she sat up, looking at the clock.

10:56p.m.

He nodded, his motions visible only in silhouette against the light from outside the door. He closed it behind him, leaving them in darkness only long enough for her to pull the chain on her lamp, illuminating the room in a calm, dim, yellow glow. "Come here and tell me what's wrong." She patted the bed beside her as she pulled her legs in lotus-style under her. He crawled onto the bed awkwardly. Mimicking her sitting-style, he sat looking at her, silent for a while.

"Is it about today?" she asked warmly. "Do you want to talk about it?" She reached out her hands, motioning for him to sit with her. He moved beside her and she put her arms around him protectively. In some ways he liked the smaller body. She could put her arms around him, holding him entirely and he felt so safe and secure. However, at the same time, he hated the body because he could not do the same for her.

"Ran, I…" he started. She didn't correct him for addressing her simply as Ran. "I have something very important to tell you." He looked up into her face. She smiled and encouraged him to continue. He didn't realize how hard this would be. "I tried to tell you on several different occasions… You have to understand my reasoning… The situation… it's so…" he pulled at his collar, looked down at the bed, and sweated nervously. He glanced back at her and swallowed hard. He could feel his heart beating hard in his chest. He was sure she could hear it. "But before I say that, I have to say…"

"Ran's own expression had changed by this point, changed to one of confusion. Was it just her imagination or was Conan acting strangely. It couldn't possibly mean… Now she felt her own heart pounding. A tingly nervousness started in her chest and spread outward through her whole body. Ran placed her hands on the boy's small shoulders, turning him to face her. She looked him right in the eyes. Unsure how to begin, Conan took her hands and placed them on the rims of his large-framed glasses. He guided her hands with his, removing them. Still looking into his eyes, she folded the glasses, setting them on the night-stand.

"Then you are…." She paused and he nodded wordlessly, "Shinichi." Instead of looking happy or relieved she maintained that same stern stare. He had expected as much. She pulled her bottom lip in. He noticed under her eyes were turning red. A tear welled in her eye, but did not fall. Her furrowed brow changed direction, sloping gently upward now but still just as tense. She smiled a very sad and lonesome smile. "I was right, all along."

Small Shinichi stood on the bed and moved behind her. He hugged her around the neck and spoke quietly words of comfort. "I'm so sorry. I know it's been hard, but I've always been here for you, even if we couldn't be together … the way I wanted us to."

"Just tell me why!" she turned to him, a hurt look on her face. She pulled her blanket close as if it were some magical shield to keep her safe. "Why couldn't you trust me? Why couldn't you tell me? Why did you allow me to embarrass myself in front of you every day?!" Shinichi moved in front of her again and took her hands in his. He looked solemn, serious. "That's the difficult part."

He proceeded to explain to her what happened that night at Tropical Land, the last day his life was "normal." He explained the dangerous situation, Professor Agasa's warning, and his ongoing personal investigation and repeated attempts at returning to his own body.

"You can trust me." She smiled with a shushing finger to her lips. They sat awkwardly for a moment before, "How is this going to change the way we are together?" Shinichi wasn't sure what his childhood friend was trying to ask. "I guess act as before so no one will know." He said, cupping his chin between his forefinger and thumb in a thoughtful expression. "No." she interjected. "How will we act when it's just the two of us?"

Shinichi thought about it. He pictured himself as little Conan kissing her passionately. He smiled wryly at the thought. 'No, I guess we can't do that…' he mused. Ran snaked her arms around his slender back, breaking him from his thoughts. She pulled him close in an emboldened gesture and pressed her lips against his. They both blushed profusely and Shinichi returned the gesture, placing his hands behind her head, holding her closely. He had never kissed her mouth before. The experience was just as he thought it would be; soft and sweet. He moved further, trying more passionately but Ran broke it off. "Ran…?" She smiled sheepishly back at him, her breathing was ragged. She was nervous, he could tell.

"I'm sorry." They both said simultaneously. Speaking together again, each offered their own explanation. "I moved too quickly. I went too far." Shinichi stumbled over his words. "Conan-kun…" was her explanation. Shinichi stopped, understanding the weight of the word. "I feel weird kissing Conan-kun." They both sat in uncomfortable silence, neither really looking at the other. "Sometimes…" the boy started, "…sometimes I can restore my body. It is painful and kind of hard, but I do it because I want to be back to normal and I want to be with you. Maybe, when I'm in my own body, we can pick up where we left off." Shinichi left the comment somewhat open-ended, either a question or a statement. Ran smiled and made a small noise, perhaps a confirmation, a sob, or a laugh; the great high school sleuth didn't even know.

Little Conan got up from the bed and moved his short legs to the desk beside her bed. He switched off the lamp and crawled back beside her. He had his voice-changing bow-tie still on his suit. He adjusted it to the right frequency. Ran had a questioning look on her face, but they were blanketed in forgiving darkness. He held the device in one hand, taking her hand with the other. "Can you imagine, for me, that I'm normal again? Just for a few moments?" Ran was startled for a moment by the sound of Shinichi's own voice, not the voice of a child. "How did you…?" she started but knew the answer before Shinichi even chimed in a response. "Professor Agasa made me a device to change my voice."

"Some time back, I invited you to a particular restaurant. I said I had something important to tell you."

Ran thought back, remembering the event. She smacked her fist on her leg in recognition. "Oh yeah. Shinichi disappeared and Conan ate dessert with me." She didn't bother asking him to explain Conan's presence and Shinichi's presence over the couple days during that event.

"That restaurant held some special significance for me. I wanted to take you there to tell you, but things didn't turn out as I had planned. My father proposed to my mother there at that very table we were sitting at." The moonlight shown in the window through the closed blinds. The soft, silvery glow showed only enough, outlining parts of him. He knelt before her. He would have looked silly in the light, a primary school student, kneeling and holding her left hand. "I love you Ran, and though we're still in high school, I want to know if you'll be with me forever. Will you marry me?" the darkness gave him courage. Ran's breath caught in her throat. It was wonderful to hear Shinichi's voice and though she couldn't be with him as she wanted to, she knew she could, some day. She felt reassured. Shinichi was gone from her, but he was always here. She didn't have to worry anymore. "Shinichi," she started to cry the good kind of tears, "I will!" She threw her arms around him, almost surprising herself, having forgotten it was little Conan in front of her. But she hugged him tightly, nonetheless. She kissed him again, this time chastely, and pulled the chain to turn the light back on.

They held each other closely. She chuckled and whispered in his ear, "Can we do this every night, now?" Shinichi felt relief, but he knew she would act differently toward Conan. Though he could trust her, could she really be safe now? He put a hand on her cheek and smiled, trying to quell the worrisome feelings within him. "You have a test tomorrow." He said, sliding off the bed. "Get some sleep." His voice was quiet and warm. She snuggled deep under the covers as he pulled them over her shoulders. He kissed her softly once more before stepping back, accidentally onto his folded clothes. Crunch. Both eyes shot wide. Conan picked up his shorts, not remembering what could have made that noise. Ran reached out and took them from him. "You broke something." She thought at first it must be his glasses, but they lay neatly beside her bed. "Oh no! Something's leaking. We'd better get this washed off before it leaves a stain." She rubbed her thumb over the wet patch of cloth. Suddenly Shinichi realized what it was. "Please don't let it be the yellow bottle." He whispered through his teeth to himself.

"Just forget about it. I'll go do it right now. Good night. He kissed her on the cheek, took his glasses, and turned out her light. He now stood in the open door of her blackened bedroom, looking longingly toward her. He noted the time glowing from her clock. 11:54. Careful not to touch the chemical on his clothes, he wrapped his shorts in his jacket and dropped them in the hall beside him, for now. "Ran?" he had to know. "Ran-nechan?" he used his child-like inflection again.

"Conan-kun. Are you okay? Come here and tell me what's wrong." She patted the bed beside her as she sat up, looking at her clock. 11:56p.m. "Is it about today?"

"Ran, do you remember…?" he started, but he knew the answer. "Remember what?" she asked sweetly. "Remember ice cream tomorrow? I won't forget." She smiled at him the way she always smiled at Conan. He let his expression drop in resignation for only a moment. "Yay! I want strawberry! I can't wait!" He rubbed the back of his hair nervously, like a little kid. "Goodnight Ran-nechan!" and closed the door behind him. Back in the hall he looked down at his clothes. "I could give her the bottle marked with red. I could restore her memory of the last hour. We could go on, into the future, together with a new relationship. He thought long and hard, standing in that dimly lit hall. He shook his head, taking his clothes into the bathroom and putting them in the sink. He dropped the other bottle out under the water before picking it up and looking it over again. "At least I'll know." He said, opening the bottle and pouring the contents down the drain. He touched his lips with the tips of his small fingers, remembering the sensation of their kiss. "At least I'll remember."

~The End~


End file.
